News Article
Injury update from Team Owner Justin Watkins
Justin Watkins
Published: August 15, 2009
Normally I would have a race report for you all but the past OMRRA weekend didn't go as planned. Instead, I am providing and update on how I am doing. Thanks for all the well wishes the past few weeks. I am finally to a point where I can use a computer again. Just wanted to send an update and let you all know how I am doing. I am home now and have been resting and doing much better this week.
What happened?
I had some sort of mechanical issue with bike on the warmup lap and the rear came around on me and highsided me a good 10+ feet in the air and I broke my tibia vertically (tibia plateau fracture). So I basically split the top of the bone in half at the joint with the knee and tore the acl and some soft tissues. There was a 4mm separation of the bone so a plate, 6 screws and 2 pins and its all back together. The crappy thing is no weight (no walking) on the leg for 12 weeks, thats like early to mid october. Unfortunately its my right leg so I can't drive either. This makes getting around very difficult considering all the Dr visits and PT visits I have to make each week. So its going to be a long road. Luckily my girlfriend is a school teacher and has a few more weeks off to help me out, but come end of this month I am going to have to find some people to help me out getting around and to appointments etc.
I was admitted to the hospital on the evening of the 26th to have surgery the following day. I was in the hospital till Wed night and released. Saturday morning about 6:30am I was having difficulty breathing and sharp pains in my back. I was rushed back to the hospital and found I had a few moderate size blood clots in my lungs. They put me on blood thinners and I spent another 4 days at the hospital. I have to be on blood thinners for 3-6 months and have to have my blood checked daily at dr's office to make sure its in the right range or I could get more clots or bleed to death if its too thin (if i were to get cut or have nose bleed etc.) It was a bit frightening for a few days but feeling better each day. Dr's don't want me doing anything but resting for next 4 weeks and starting my PT 2-3 times a week in a few weeks, once stitches are removed.
I hope to get back to work soon and get back to some sort of normal schedule. Thanks again for all the well wishes and those who came to visit at the hospital. (I don't remember much of the hospital stay due to all the medications)
Hope to see you all soon! I am going to try to make it out to the track next weekend to say hello to everyone.
I can be contacted at jmwatkins@dsl-only.net or by cell 503-830-0688
